## Liam''s Perspective
"A five-thousand-year-old medicinal herb? That''s incredibly rare, even for someone in my position." Mariana Valerius gazed at me thoughtfully, her fingers tapping against the ancient desk between us.
We sat alone in her private chambers within the Celestial Apothecary Guild. After the day''s events—the execution of the traitorous First Elder and the reunion celebrations—we finally had a moment of privacy.
"I know it''s asking much," I admitted. "But Isabelle''s time is running short."
The Pavilion Master''s eyes softened slightly. "Your devotion to her is admirable. But first, we need to address your cultivation."
"What about it?"
She sighed, rising from her seat to pour tea. "You''ve reached the Consummate Inner Strength Grandmaster Realm—a rarity in itself. Most cultivators never achieve this state."
"And yet it''s not enough," I said, frustration bleeding into my voice. "The Martial Guild grows stronger by the day. Dominic Ashworth has broken through to Martial Marquis. Time is against me."
"Your path is uniquely difficult." She handed me a steaming cup. "The dual cultivation of both light and dark energies through your Chaotic Body—it''s unprecedented."
The tea was bitter, medicinal. I drank it anyway.
"Most cultivators follow well-trodden paths," Mariana continued. "You''re forging a new one entirely. Each step forward is a battle against the veryws of nature."
"I don''t need philosophy," I said bluntly. "I need power. Enough to tear down the Martial Guild''s walls and rescue Isabelle."
She didn''t flinch at my tone. "What you need is patience."
"Patience won''t save her."
"Neither will rushing headlong to your death." Her voice hardened. "Listen to me, Liam. I understand your urgency. But some battles can''t be won through brute force alone."
I set down my cup, trying to control my frustration. "Then what do you suggest?"
"About the herb—I may have a solution." She reached into her sleeve, extracting a worn map. "There''s a forgotten valley in the Western Mountains. If such a herb exists anywhere within our reach, it would be there."
Hope sparked within me. "How soon can we—"
"Not yet." She raised a hand. "First, I have my own battle to face."
"What do you mean?"
Mariana''s face grew solemn. "Tomorrow, I will attempt to break through to the Military Marquis Realm."
I stared at her in shock. "But you''ve been suppressing your breakthrough for—"
"Three decades," she finished. "Yes. I''ve been holding back the inevitable."
"Why now?"
Her eyes met mine. "The Spirit Severing Pill they forced me to consume during my captivity—it''s slowly poisoning my meridians. Breaking through is my only chance to counteract its effects."
Cold realization washed over me. "The tribtion could kill you."
"It likely will," she said calmly. "But I''ve epted that possibility."
"There must be another way."
She shook her head. "There isn''t. And regardless of the oue, you''ll need to continue your mission. Find the herb. Save Isabelle. Don''t let my potential sacrifice be in vain."
The weight of her words hung heavy between us.
"I''ll prepare the necessary formations tonight," she continued. "The breakthrough will begin at dawn."
---
Dawn came too quickly. I stood with the other Guild elders at a safe distance, watching as Mariana Valerius seated herself in the center of an intricate array of spirit stones and formation gs.
Her eyes closed. Her breathing steadied. The air around her began to shimmer.
"It begins," whispered Elder Chen beside me.
The sky darkened unnaturally. Storm clouds gathered directly overhead, swirling like an angry vortex. Lightning flickered within their depths.
Mariana remained motionless, her face a mask of concentration. The energy around her intensified, pressing against my skin like a physical force.
Then came the first lightning strike.
It mmed down from the heavens with blinding intensity, striking Mariana directly. Her body jerked, but she made no sound. The formation around her glowed, absorbing part of the impact.
"She''s drawing the tribtion to herself," Elder Chen exined quietly. "Three decades of suppressed power—the heavenly response will be severe."
A second bolt crashed down, more powerful than the first. Then a third. Each strike illuminated Mariana''s rigid form.
By the seventh strike, blood trickled from her nose and ears. Still, she didn''t break her meditation.
"Should we help her?" I asked, my hand instinctively moving toward my sword.
Elder Chen gripped my arm. "Interfering would be fatal—to her and you. This is her battle alone."
The storm intensified. Lightning now rained down continuously, creating a cage of crackling energy around the Pavilion Master. The ground beneath her began to crack and splinter from the pressure. <code ss="phantom-imprint">Fi#rs#t+ s#ee!n! on *.</code>
Minutes stretched into an hour. The assault continued unabated.
Then, something changed. The lightning strikes began to concentrate into a single, massive bolt that hovered directly above Mariana''s head. It pulsed and grew, drawing power from the surrounding storm.
"The final test," Elder Chen whispered. "If she survives this..."
The lightning descended with a thunderous crack that shook the entirepound. The blinding sh forced everyone to shield their eyes.
When I could see again, Mariana still sat in the formation''s center. But something had changed. A faint luminescence surrounded her body. Her previously gray-streaked hair now shimmered with an almost metallic sheen.
Slowly, her eyes opened. They gleamed with newfound power.
"It is done," she announced, her voice carrying unnaturally across the courtyard.
The storm clouds dispersed as quickly as they had formed. Sunlight broke through, illuminating the newly ascended Martial Marquis.
When she rose to her feet, she seemed to float rather than walk. Every movement carried an effortless grace that hadn''t been there before.
Yet despite her triumph, I noticed something troubling—a subtle shadow in her eyes, a hint of sadness beneath the power.
---
Miles away, in the private chambers of the Ascendant Saints Order, another conversation was taking ce.
Josiah Hale paced before Elder Foster and Dudley Lowell, both recently released from captivity.
"He humiliated me," Hale snarled. "That upstart forced my hand before the entire sect!"
Elder Foster, still weak from his imprisonment, kept his eyes downcast. "What will you do, Sect Master?"
Josiah stopped pacing. "We''re going to Riverbend Town."
"Riverbend?" Dudley Lowell frowned. "What''s there?"
"The perfect trap." Josiah''s lips curved into a cold smile. "And you two will help set it."
"Us?" Elder Foster''s voice quavered slightly.
"Consider it repayment for your freedom." Josiah''s tone left no room for argument. "Knight has a weakness for saving people. You''ll be the bait that draws him out."
"And if we refuse?" Dudley asked quietly.
Josiah''s eyes narrowed. "Then you''ll wish I had left you in those cells."
---
Back at the Celestial Apothecary Guild, dusk was falling. I stood with Mariana on the observation tform, discussing our next steps.
"Your breakthrough was sessful," I noted. "How do you feel?"
"Different," she replied simply. "As though I''m seeing the world through new eyes."
She did look different—more ethereal somehow, less bound by physical constraints. Yet that shadow of sadness remained.
"The Spirit Severing Pill?" I asked carefully.
"Neutralized." She nodded. "But at a cost. Every breakthrough demands sacrifice."
Before I could ask what sacrifice she meant, she tensed suddenly, her gaze sharpening as she looked toward the horizon.
"What is it?" I followed her line of sight but saw nothing.
"A presence," she murmured. "Powerful. Approaching rapidly."
I reached for my sword, every sense suddenly alert. "Friend or foe?"
"Neither." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. "Something worse."
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the guild grounds. And in that moment, I felt it too—a crushing pressure, an overwhelming aura moving directly toward us.
Mariana''s face hardened. "Prepare yourself, Liam. Someone ising to collect an old debt."